The Aldon Smith thread

Originally posted by candlestick49er:
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking Aldon at all. In fact its the opposite. I'm just stating that his presence can't be ignored and teams will be forced to double team him, which will make things easier for his teammates. Here's some examples of what I mean:

1. Julius Peppers was Carolina's best pass rusher during his time there. He recorded 12 sacks in 12 games as a rookie in 2002. The following season (2003), he recorded 7 sacks in 16 games. Although his sack totals weren't as high as the previous year, he was still a dominant force. His impact was seen through the production of his teammates. That season, Mike Rucker led the Panthers in sacks with 12 (a career high for him). Rucker wasn't the best pass rusher on the team, but his job was made easier because Peppers drew most of the attention from offenses.

2. Terrell Suggs in 2004 led the Ravens in sacks with 10.5 in 16 games. The next two seasons, he finished behind Adalius Thomas in sacks. Despite finishing behind him, Suggs was obviously a better pass rusher than Thomas (who we later found out wasn't as good as originally thought). Suggs wasn't Baltimore's sack leader in those seasons but he was still a threat that offenses had to account for. Like the Peppers example above, Suggs' impact was seen through the production of his teammates. He helped his defense not by recording sacks, but by drawing attention and helping Thomas get to the QB easier.

Aldon obviously has the ability to lead the team in sacks again next year, I'm not disputing that. In fact, I won't be surprised if he becomes the league's sack leader. I'm just saying that his impact will be deeper than sack totals. By drawing more attention, its possible that he could help somebody else (Ahmad Brooks?) become the team's sack leader.

I agree with you for the most part however Aldon Smith showed more as pass rusher than either of those two did as rookies, and by the time the playoffs rolled around last year teams had plenty of tape on Aldon Smith and he was still effective. As far as double teams go opponents will still have to focus on stopping Justin Smith first and foremost if they want to beat the 49ers

Originally posted by DirtyP:
I agree with you for the most part however Aldon Smith showed more as pass rusher than either of those two did as rookies, and by the time the playoffs rolled around last year teams had plenty of tape on Aldon Smith and he was still effective. As far as double teams go opponents will still have to focus on stopping Justin Smith first and foremost if they want to beat the 49ers

All I'm saying is that Aldon will have an even greater impact next season regardless of his sack total. I'm not denying Aldon's ability. I even mentioned that I wouldn't be surprised if he led the league in sacks. I also mentioned that Aldon being on the field with Justin Smith every down would cause problems for offenses. Don't you agree that both Aldon & Justin consistently drawing double teams creates more opportunities for Brooks to get to the QB?

Originally posted by candlestick49er:
All I'm saying is that Aldon will have an even greater impact next season regardless of his sack total. I'm not denying Aldon's ability. I even mentioned that I wouldn't be surprised if he led the league in sacks. I also mentioned that Aldon being on the field with Justin Smith every down would cause problems for offenses. Don't you agree that both Aldon & Justin consistently drawing double teams creates more opportunities for Brooks to get to the QB?

You can't double team both of them though. Thats the whole point. Having Aldon on same side as Justin forces one to be single blocked.

Originally posted by candlestick49er:
All I'm saying is that Aldon will have an even greater impact next season regardless of his sack total. I'm not denying Aldon's ability. I even mentioned that I wouldn't be surprised if he led the league in sacks. I also mentioned that Aldon being on the field with Justin Smith every down would cause problems for offenses. Don't you agree that both Aldon & Justin consistently drawing double teams creates more opportunities for Brooks to get to the QB?

You can't double team both of them though. Thats the whole point. Having Aldon on same side as Justin forces one to be single blocked.

It just makes me wonder how much better our defense might be next year. How many more turnover we might cause. Sacks were huge last year it is was the turnovers that got us to the playoff though. It was those 3pt and 0 pt halfs that won games for us, sacks just added to the desperation for a big turnover on almost every down.

Originally posted by candlestick49er:
All I'm saying is that Aldon will have an even greater impact next season regardless of his sack total. I'm not denying Aldon's ability. I even mentioned that I wouldn't be surprised if he led the league in sacks. I also mentioned that Aldon being on the field with Justin Smith every down would cause problems for offenses. Don't you agree that both Aldon & Justin consistently drawing double teams creates more opportunities for Brooks to get to the QB?

You can't double team both of them though. Thats the whole point. Having Aldon on same side as Justin forces one to be single blocked.

I recall offenses double teaming both Warren Sapp & Simeon Rice on plays. Both players rushed from the same side (weakside) every down and that didn't stop them from receiving a double team each. So having Aldon & Justin on the same side doesn't necessarily force only one to be single blocked. An OT blocking Aldon can receive help from a TE while an OG blocking Justin can receive help from either the Center or a player in the backfield. Plus you have to consider Fangio's ability to move them around. They don't have to be rushing from the same side every time. Aldon is capable of rushing from the weakside OLB/DE position or strongside OLB/DE on any given play, and Justin can pretty much play any position on the line.

Even if we take your idea that only one can be double teamed on a play...that still means Brooks/McDonald will consistently see 1v1 match-ups since the double teams are gonna be assigned to either Justin or Aldon every play.

We all know Justin is a beast who draws attention and Aldon is a beast who also draws attention. With those 2 guys playing every down together, things should become easier for their teammates.

Originally posted by candlestick49er:
All I'm saying is that Aldon will have an even greater impact next season regardless of his sack total. I'm not denying Aldon's ability. I even mentioned that I wouldn't be surprised if he led the league in sacks. I also mentioned that Aldon being on the field with Justin Smith every down would cause problems for offenses. Don't you agree that both Aldon & Justin consistently drawing double teams creates more opportunities for Brooks to get to the QB?

You can't double team both of them though. Thats the whole point. Having Aldon on same side as Justin forces one to be single blocked.

Having both of them on the same side doesn't necessarily force only one to be single blocked though. An OT blocking Aldon can receive help from a TE while an OG blocking Justin can receive help from either the Center or a player in the backfield. Plus you have to consider Fangio's ability to move them around. They don't have to be rushing from the same side every time. Aldon is capable of rushing from the weakside OLB/DE position or strongside OLB/DE on any given play, and Justin can pretty much play any position on the line.

Even if we take your idea that only one can be double teamed on a play...that still means Brooks/McDonald will consistently see 1v1 match-ups since the double teams are gonna be assigned to either Justin or Aldon every play.

We all know Justin is a beast who draws attention and Aldon is a beast who also draws attention. With those 2 guys playing every down together, things should become easier for their teammates.

Which may mean less time on the field with the offense starting to kick in.

IMO Aldon has more tools then any pass rusher. He has exceptional quickness along with speed and with long arms as well as strength is able to move OL any number of ways, hitting them high and getting them off balance,in the chest and forklifting them,clubbing them aside,getting a slight angle and popping guys over with his arms. Haley had tremendous footwork and determination but Aldon has gifts few players have had. If he could gain 50 lbs he would be a holy terror inside.

Plays a little TE in high school so he knows how to catch the ball. Hopefully more INTs if less sacks. If he can work on his coverage skills, between him and Willis, there's no catching the ball by a TE on that side.

Originally posted by candlestick49er:
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking Aldon at all. In fact its the opposite. I'm just stating that his presence can't be ignored and teams will be forced to double team him, which will make things easier for his teammates. Here's some examples of what I mean:

1. Julius Peppers was Carolina's best pass rusher during his time there. He recorded 12 sacks in 12 games as a rookie in 2002. The following season (2003), he recorded 7 sacks in 16 games. Although his sack totals weren't as high as the previous year, he was still a dominant force. His impact was seen through the production of his teammates. That season, Mike Rucker led the Panthers in sacks with 12 (a career high for him). Rucker wasn't the best pass rusher on the team, but his job was made easier because Peppers drew most of the attention from offenses.

2. Terrell Suggs in 2004 led the Ravens in sacks with 10.5 in 16 games. The next two seasons, he finished behind Adalius Thomas in sacks. Despite finishing behind him, Suggs was obviously a better pass rusher than Thomas (who we later found out wasn't as good as originally thought). Suggs wasn't Baltimore's sack leader in those seasons but he was still a threat that offenses had to account for. Like the Peppers example above, Suggs' impact was seen through the production of his teammates. He helped his defense not by recording sacks, but by drawing attention and helping Thomas get to the QB easier.

Aldon obviously has the ability to lead the team in sacks again next year, I'm not disputing that. In fact, I won't be surprised if he becomes the league's sack leader. I'm just saying that his impact will be deeper than sack totals. By drawing more attention, its possible that he could help somebody else (Ahmad Brooks?) become the team's sack leader.

Reminds me of the year Dana Stubblefied won defensive player of the year in '97 and then went on to sign a big money contract with the Redskins. The 'skins did understand that the reason Stubblefield won player of the year was that he played next to Bryant Young who commanded the double teams.

Originally posted by candlestick49er:
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking Aldon at all. In fact its the opposite. I'm just stating that his presence can't be ignored and teams will be forced to double team him, which will make things easier for his teammates. Here's some examples of what I mean:

1. Julius Peppers was Carolina's best pass rusher during his time there. He recorded 12 sacks in 12 games as a rookie in 2002. The following season (2003), he recorded 7 sacks in 16 games. Although his sack totals weren't as high as the previous year, he was still a dominant force. His impact was seen through the production of his teammates. That season, Mike Rucker led the Panthers in sacks with 12 (a career high for him). Rucker wasn't the best pass rusher on the team, but his job was made easier because Peppers drew most of the attention from offenses.

2. Terrell Suggs in 2004 led the Ravens in sacks with 10.5 in 16 games. The next two seasons, he finished behind Adalius Thomas in sacks. Despite finishing behind him, Suggs was obviously a better pass rusher than Thomas (who we later found out wasn't as good as originally thought). Suggs wasn't Baltimore's sack leader in those seasons but he was still a threat that offenses had to account for. Like the Peppers example above, Suggs' impact was seen through the production of his teammates. He helped his defense not by recording sacks, but by drawing attention and helping Thomas get to the QB easier.

Aldon obviously has the ability to lead the team in sacks again next year, I'm not disputing that. In fact, I won't be surprised if he becomes the league's sack leader. I'm just saying that his impact will be deeper than sack totals. By drawing more attention, its possible that he could help somebody else (Ahmad Brooks?) become the team's sack leader.

Reminds me of the year Dana Stubblefied won defensive player of the year in '97 and then went on to sign a big money contract with the Redskins. The 'skins did understand that the reason Stubblefield won player of the year was that he played next to Bryant Young who commanded the double teams.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking Aldon at all. In fact its the opposite. I'm just stating that his presence can't be ignored and teams will be forced to double team him, which will make things easier for his teammates. Here's some examples of what I mean:

1. Julius Peppers was Carolina's best pass rusher during his time there. He recorded 12 sacks in 12 games as a rookie in 2002. The following season (2003), he recorded 7 sacks in 16 games. Although his sack totals weren't as high as the previous year, he was still a dominant force. His impact was seen through the production of his teammates. That season, Mike Rucker led the Panthers in sacks with 12 (a career high for him). Rucker wasn't the best pass rusher on the team, but his job was made easier because Peppers drew most of the attention from offenses.

2. Terrell Suggs in 2004 led the Ravens in sacks with 10.5 in 16 games. The next two seasons, he finished behind Adalius Thomas in sacks. Despite finishing behind him, Suggs was obviously a better pass rusher than Thomas (who we later found out wasn't as good as originally thought). Suggs wasn't Baltimore's sack leader in those seasons but he was still a threat that offenses had to account for. Like the Peppers example above, Suggs' impact was seen through the production of his teammates. He helped his defense not by recording sacks, but by drawing attention and helping Thomas get to the QB easier.

Aldon obviously has the ability to lead the team in sacks again next year, I'm not disputing that. In fact, I won't be surprised if he becomes the league's sack leader. I'm just saying that his impact will be deeper than sack totals. By drawing more attention, its possible that he could help somebody else (Ahmad Brooks?) become the team's sack leader.

Reminds me of the year Dana Stubblefied won defensive player of the year in '97 and then went on to sign a big money contract with the Redskins. The 'skins did understand that the reason Stubblefield won player of the year was that he played next to Bryant Young who commanded the double teams.

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